Wi-Fi Alliance has defined Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2011/0280152). In the standard, for example, when a digital camera and a printer cooperate with each other to provide services (for example, image sharing, and printing) for users, both of the digital camera and the printer join a wireless network (Wi-Fi Direct network) established with Wi-Fi Direct to implement the service communication.
When the service communication is implemented using the Wi-Fi Direct network, if a Wi-Fi Direct network has not been established between the apparatus and the other apparatus, a new Wi-Fi Direct network is established between the apparatus and the other apparatus to implement the service communication. On the other hand, if a Wi-Fi Direct network has already been established between the apparatus and the other apparatus, the service communication is implemented using the Wi-Fi Direct network.
When the Wi-Fi Direct network is established to carry out predetermined service communication, the wireless network is not expected to be used for any other communication. Consequently, if the Wi-Fi Direct network is not ended when the service communication ends, the resources of the apparatuses are unnecessarily consumed.
Meanwhile, when service communication is to be implemented using an existing Wi-Fi Direct network, it is highly possible that any other communication has already been carried out over the wireless network. In such a case, if the wireless network is ended when the service communication ends, it is not possible to continue the other service communication. Consequently, for the other service communication, the Wi-Fi Direct network is required to be established again, and unfortunately, the usability is decreased.